1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telecommunications, and, more particularly, to wireless communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of wireless telecommunications, such as cellular telephony, a system typically includes a plurality of base stations distributed within an area to be serviced by the system. Various users within the area, fixed or mobile, may then access the system and, thus, other interconnected telecommunications systems, via one or more of the base stations. Typically, a mobile device maintains communications with the system as the mobile device passes through an area by communicating with one and then another base station, as the user moves. The mobile device may communicate with the closest base station, the base station with the strongest signal, the base station with a capacity sufficient to accept communications, etc., and it may do so over one or more wireless channels.
Typically, the mobile devices communicate with the base stations at fixed intervals. For example, the mobile station is permitted to transmit a segment of data during a first preselected period of time. At the expiration of the first period of time, the mobile station is permitted to transmit a new segment of data, and so on. Transmission of each segment of data must be completed within its designated period of time, or the transmission is unsuccessful and must be repeated.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that large amounts of data can be delivered if the period of time is set at a relatively short value (e.g., 2 ms). However, if the channel is subjected to non-ideal conditions (e.g., noise, interference, etc.), then a successful transmission may not be achieved within the relatively short time period. Extending the period of time (e.g., 10 ms) may allow transmissions to successfully complete in less than ideal conditions, but the data will be delivered at a substantially reduced rate. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that channel conditions may vary dramatically over relatively short periods of time, and thus, a static time interval may produce desirable transmission rates for only limited periods of time.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing, the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.